Sudan has called on the World Bank to cancel its debt before January's referendum. The World Bank says before it can decide to write of Sudans' debt, the government must carry out certain conditions, such as implementing economic reforms to reduce poverty. The deputy chairperson of the World Bank Obigal Isaac Wisley, told Radio Miraya in a press conference that the World Bank will not be involved in deciding the overall responsibility for debts between North and South Sudan.

By BOB SALSBERG, Associated Press Writer

 

CHATHAM, Mass. – A weakening Hurricane Earl swiped past North Carolina on Friday on its way to New England, where officials warned residents that it still packed dangerous winds that could topple trees or damage the area's picturesque gray-shingled cottages.

Earl dropped to a Category 1 storm — down from a powerful Category 4 a day earlier — with sustained winds of 80 mph. The storm could weaken to a tropical storm by the time it passes about 50 to 75 miles southeast of Nantucket on Friday night, said National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read.

"The good news on Earl is it has been steadily weakening, maybe even a little quicker than forecast," Read said.

Nantucket police chief William Pittman warned island residents against complacency, saying Earl was "still a dangerous storm" with severe winds that could be stronger than those carried by the gusty nor'easters the island is used to absorbing.

The National Hurricane Center reduced the New England areas under a hurricane warning to just Cape Cod and the islands. The rest of the New England coast remained under tropical storm warnings and watches.

As of 2 p.m. EDT, Earl's center was located about 290 miles (465 kilometers) south-southwest of Nantucket, Mass., and moving north-northeast at nearly 21 mph (33 kph).

Most of the hurricane force winds were expected to remain offshore. The National Weather Service was forecasting winds up to 65 mph on Nantucket with gusts up to 85 mph. On Cape Cod, winds up to 45 mph with gusts of up to 60 mph were expected.

Earl sideswiped North Carolina's Outer Banks early Friday, flooding the vacation islands but causing no injuries and little damage. The storm's winds had dropped by then to 105 mph from 145 mph a day before.

Hurricane-force winds, which start at 74 mph, apparently did not reach the Outer Banks, said the National Hurricane Center's chief forecaster, James Franklin. Officials had urged some 35,000 visitors and residents on the Outer Banks to leave the dangerously exposed islands as the storm closed in, but hundreds chose to wait it out in their boarded-up homes.

Nancy Scarborough of Hatteras said she had about a foot of water underneath her home, which is on stilts. "Once it goes down, it shouldn't take long to get things back together," she said.

In New Jersey, authorities on Friday called off a search for the second victim of rough surf this week. Pardip Singh, of Carteret, entered the ocean Thursday night with a group of people in Belmar but did not emerge. His disappearance came on the same day that authorities recovered the body of a 23-year-old Asbury Park man who drowned after entering the roiling waters Tuesday.

In Massachusetts, Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency Thursday as he urged residents not to panic.

On Friday, many seemed to be following his advice. Traffic was light on both bridges to and from Cape Cod, where the air was still and heavy rains started in the late morning.

In downtown Chatham, a quaint fishing village at Cape Cod's eastern edge, tourists strolled the bookstores, cafes, candy shops and ice cream parlors on Main Street, largely unconcerned about the coming storm.

A handful of stores had put plywood over their windows, including the Ben Franklin Old Fashioned Variety Store. "C'mon Earl, we're ready for you," a handwritten note read.

In a parking lot near downtown, five large utility trucks sat waiting and linemen milled about, ready to fix any possible power outages. A handful of people walked on a beach nearby, the waves gently lapping the sand.

In Barnstable, Ellen McDonough, of Boston, and a friend were waiting Friday morning for one of the last ferries to Nantucket before service was stopped around noon. The two had planned a Labor Day weekend getaway to the island and didn't see Earl as a good reason to cancel.

"It's not a three-foot snow storm. I think us New Englanders are tough," McDonough said. "We've had this weekend planned, and no hurricane is going to stop us."

Scott Thomas, president of the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce, said island residents were taking the coming storm in stride.

"This is not something that is really unheard of for us, in terms of being prepped for it and being ready to handle something like this," he said. "We kind of roll with the punches out here; it's not a huge deal for us."

Thomas Kinton Jr., executive director of the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs Logan International Airport in Boston, said he didn't expect major commercial airlines to cancel flights because of Earl. Cape Air, which serves Cape Cod, will be ending its flights at midday Friday, he said.

"The potential impacts to (Logan) airport are lessening as the hurricane gets closer," Kinton said.

In New York City, officials were on alert but said they expected to see only side effects of the storm — mostly rain and high winds, with possible soil erosion on the beaches and flooding along the oceanside coasts of Brooklyn and Queens.

In Rhode Island, Gov. Donald Carcieri signed a disaster declaration Thursday, giving emergency workers access to state and federal resources to deal with problems that may be caused by the hurricane. Block Island, a popular Rhode Island tourist destination, was expected to gusts as high as 60 mph.

At Acadia National Park in Maine officials closed most of a road where thousands of visitors gathered last year to watch the swells from Hurricane Bill, and a 20-foot wave swept a 7-year-old girl to her death.

Just off the coast of Maine and New Hampshire, some island residents decided to play it safe and return to the mainland.

Robert Bohlmann, emergency management agency director in York County, Maine, said some homes on the rocky Isles of Shoals belong to fishermen who have no intention of leaving.

"You couldn't get them off the island if you dragged them," Bohlmann said. "It's their homes and they're don't want to leave."

By TONY KARON, TIME

 

Rather than previewing their peace proposals, the protagonists in this week's Israeli-Palestinian talks in Washington made sure everyone knew their version of who is to blame for the negotiation's widely anticipated failure. Not surprising, really, because each side's position is well known to the other, and the odds of talks bridging the gap - even "direct" ones, as opposed to those called "proximity," i.e., mediated by a shuttling U.S. diplomat - remain long.

The Palestinians warn that there will be no agreement if Israel continues expanding its settlements on occupied land. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must "choose between settlements and peace," as Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat put it. The Israelis note that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas lacks the political strength to sell any deal to his people, possibly even to his own Fatah movement. Abbas governs under the shadow of his rivals in Hamas, which emphasized its rejection of a peace process in which it has no stake by launching two deadly attacks on Israeli settlers this week. The Israelis say Hamas is a proxy of Iran, whose influence is a key obstacle to peace. And if the Obama Administration wants peace, it had better get on with pulling Iran's claws. (See pictures of Obama's trips overseas.)

Although this week's peace summit may mimic the rituals of its predecessors, its substance is quite different from the heady days of the Oslo process. None of the parties believe that the year of talks launched on Thursday, Sept. 2, will result in the implementation of a two-state solution anytime soon. The goal is a "framework agreement," which special envoy George Mitchell described as "more detailed than a declaration of principles but ... less than a full-fledged treaty." In other words, a guideline to be implemented on a better day.

Abbas is convinced, with good reason, that Netanyahu won't offer what he needs. After all, the Israeli Prime Minister refused to halt settlement construction or accept the 1967 borders as the basis for talks, and he insists Israel won't share Jerusalem. So the Palestinian leader has told his own people he's been dragged to Washington under threat of having donor funds cut to his aid-financed administration, effectively undermining any deal that results from the talks. Obviously, he's not expecting one. Abbas may be hoping simply to demonstrate, with Americans in the room, that Netanyahu won't willingly implement a viable two-state solution and that if Washington believes, as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emphasized, that a two-state peace is important to U.S. national security, it had better be prepared to pressure the Israelis. Obama's retreat on the settlement-freeze standoff suggests that may be wishful thinking. (See why Israel doesn't care about peace.)

Netanyahu, for his part, is under no political pressure at home to reach agreement; on the contrary, when he resisted the Obama Administration on the subject of settlements, his domestic political standing soared - peace with the Palestinians is simply no longer a priority for the Israeli body politic. As former Camp David negotiators Robert Malley and Hussein Agha succinctly concluded in the Washington Post on Thursday, "If Netanyahu comes back with an accord, he will be hailed as a historic leader ... If the talks collapse, his followers will thank him for standing firm, while his critics are likely in due course to blame the Palestinians. Abbas will be damned if he does and damned if he doesn't."

See pictures of heartbreak in the Middle East.

 

 

See pictures of Israel.

 

 

Netanyahu has professed his readiness to make a historic compromise, but that may not mean the same thing to him as it does to Abbas. The Israeli Prime Minister entered office arguing it was futile to try to implement a political deal to end the conflict in the immediate future. Instead, he advocated "economic peace," focused on easing the conditions of life in the West Bank to enable economic and administrative development, creating an infrastructure for long-term Palestinian coexistence with Israeli neighbors. Even getting Netanyahu to use the words Palestinian state took some doing by the Obama Administration. He eventually complied in a speech last year but added conditions unacceptable to Abbas or any other Palestinian leader.

With Hamas in control of Gaza, the Israelis envisage regime change in the coastal strip as a precondition for progress. And given the state of Palestinian politics, Netanyahu aides argue, it's naive to imagine that Abbas could seal a deal that resolves the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. So the current talks are viewed not as a decisive settling of accounts with the Palestinians but an application of what Israeli leaders once called a "political horizon" to a strategy of cooperation, in order to boost Palestinian well-being and good governance in the West Bank while leaving Gaza festering to force Palestinians to reject the path of Hamas. (See pictures of life under Hamas in Gaza.)

The Bush Administration embraced this view and had Abbas spend a year in open-ended conversations with then Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, aimed at achieving what was (rather unfortunately) dubbed a "shelf agreement" - a reference to its destination, as the world waited for a better day on which it would be implemented.

Although even a shelf agreement eluded Abbas and Olmert (a more centrist leader than the hawkish Netanyahu), the Obama Administration's framework-agreement concept may not be all that different. It's about creating hope on the deferred horizon while changing the status quo by increments.

Deferring Palestinian statehood will exasperate Abbas and moderate Arab regimes, because they believe its framework had been well established in previous rounds of talks. Still, a framework agreement may be the best the Obama Administration can get as long as it seeks consensus with Netanyahu. Optimists in Washington may hope that, like getting Netanyahu to say the word state, an agreed framework for the future will be perceived as progress.

The real lesson of the past two decades, however, is that the situation on the ground trumps the conversation among negotiators. And over those two decades of talks, Israel's settler population doubled and its political median moved steadily to the right, while Abbas was irrevocably weakened by the diminishing returns of his negotiation strategy. Even as the new conversation starts, Hamas is killing settlers, and the more militant settlers are no doubt planning their revenge. It may take more than framework talks to prevent the situation on the ground from turning very nasty very quickly.

See TIME's Pictures of the Week.

 

 

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AfricaNews Monitoring Team Credit: Reuters 

The Mozambique got back to work on Friday after two days of rioting, triggered by a sharp hike in bread prices, which the government said left seven dead, 288 injured. Buses resumed normal service and people returned to their jobs, walking along streets strewn with debris, burnt tyres, broken electricity poles and garbage from looted shops. Seven people, including two children, were killed when police opened fire on protesters in the deadliest riots to hit the southern African country of 23 million since 2008."This was the worst rioting I have ever seen in my life, people can really turn very violent and lives are at risk, instead of a peaceful demonstration," Maputo resident Felizmina Fabia said.

Mozambique's Trade and Industry Minister Antonio Fernandes estimated damages at around 122 million meticais in the southern African country where 70 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

"The losses from the events of Wednesday and Thursday are estimated at 122 million meticais and we registered seven deaths and 288 injuries," Fernandes said on state-controlled Radio Mozambique.

Opposition parties and human rights groups have criticised the government, saying it failed to gauge the anger that would be unleashed by the 30 percent bread price increase and hikes in water and electricity tariffs.

"The government underestimated the situation and can't understand or doesn't want to understand that this is a protest against the higher cost of living," Alice Mabota, head of the Mozambican League of Human Rights, told Portugal's Lusa news agency.

Although Mozambique is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, it has never fully recovered from one of Africa's bloodiest civil wars, which ended in 1992, and it has a 54 percent unemployment rate.

Some Mozambicans said the riots had caused serious damage to the city's social structure.

"Things are getting back to normal now and we can resume our normal life, the protests caused a lot of damage to the social setup in Maputo," Police Constable Julia Fortes said while queueing for bread in a long line in central Maputo.

The government-imposed price rise took the cost of a breadroll -- the bread staple of Mozambicans -- to 20 U.S. cents in a country where the average worker earns around $37 a month.

Egyptians also protested over food prices in recent months, and analysts have been warning that riots could follow the jump in food prices in Africa and the Middle East

Mozambicans say they have been hit hard by the rising price of bread and other basic goods, as world wheat prices have soared, but the government said the hikes could not be reversed.

Drought and fires in Russia, which had been the world's No. 3 wheat exporter, and a decision by the Russian government to extend a grain export ban until late 2011, have served to boost benchmark U.S. wheat prices by more than 25 percent this year.

Mozambique also depends heavily on imports from South Africa, which have become more expensive in recent months as the South African rand currency strengthened. The meticai local currency has lost around 29 percent against the dollar this year.

The Mozambican government had deployed troops to clear barricades in the capital as angry protesters blocked roads with burning tyres and looted shops and police said live ammunition was used in some cases when they ran out of rubber bullets, although they had not received an order to do so.

The IMF expects 7 percent GDP growth in Mozambique this year. The country's main exports are aluminium, electric power, coal and farm products, including sugar.

Riots in Mozambique in 2008, also over prices, left at least six dead.

Alan Boswell, VOA

 

South Sudan’s military is in the process of acquiring 10 Russian-made helicopters, according to documents seen by VOA.

The Southern Sudan government is purchasing 10 Mi-17 military transport helicopters from Kazan, a Russian company, for a total cost of $75 million, according to a March 2009 supplement to a May 2007 contract between the two parties. The contract was signed on behalf of South Sudan by the SPLA chief of staff, James Hoth Mai.

Nine of the helicopters are the “standard transport” Mi-17-V5 models, which according to Kazan’s website can carry up to 36 passengers. The other is a “VIP” Mi-172 , which can carry up to 11 in executive comfort and fashion.

The first shipment of 4 Mi-17-V5 helicopters was to land at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on August 12 aboard an Antonov AN-124 airlift jet, according to communication between the two parties early that month.

The delivery had been delayed from the May 2010 delivery date stated in the contract. The original timeframe had the third and final shipment arriving in September.

A spokesman for the Sudan Armed Forces said that the Khartoum authorities were aware of the purchase, but said that they were assured by South Sudan’s leaders that the aircraft were only for civilian use.

The spokesman for SPLA, Lieutenant General Kuol Deim Kuol, refused to comment. The spokesman for the Southern Sudan government, Minister of Information Barnaba Marial Benjamin denied the region had acquired any helicopters.

The Mi-17 is a popular export model of a Russian helicopter design first used to in its 1979 invasion of Afghanistan. While not an attack helicopter like an Mi-24, the Mi-17 can be used for crude offensive purposes if outfitted with guns or bombs.

Since its inception in 1983, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army – which started as a rebel movement but became South Sudan’s official military following a 2005 peace deal – has operated only as a ground force.

The purchase follows a steady stream of military purchases by both parties of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which ended the second of two long civil wars between north and south Sudan.

The CPA was supposed to curb the re-armament of both sides by effectively giving each side a veto power over any new significant purchases by a Joint Defense Board. But according to research conducted by the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, the JDB in practice has played little role scrutinizing purchases.

"This is probably a technical violation if it is being imported by the SPLA, and since it is equipment that could be used for military purposes,” said EJ Hogendoorn, Horn of Africa project director for the Brussels-based International Crisis Group.

“But it is not a gross violation,” he said, pointing out that both sides have been actively re-arming since the CPA, with the north’s stockpile drastically dwarfing that of the south. “To my knowledge, the Sudan Armed Forces have imported at least 10 Mi-24s since 2005."

The north-south border areas in Sudan, where most of the country’s known oil reserves lie, are becoming increasingly militarized and tense as the January referendum nears, according to an ICG report released yesterday. Border demarcation has yet to take place.

Preparations for the January referendum are far behind schedule, and registration has not yet begun. Southern Sudan’s leaders have warned that any delay of the vote would constitute an acceptable breach of the peace agreement.

Quotes of the DayIf Kenya had arrested Mr Bashir, "Sudan would erupt in a civil war that is going to be bigger and more devastating than the civil war [that began] 20 years ago," Kenya's new ambassador to the U.S., Elkanah Odembo, declared. "I'm willing to put my money on it.". (Source: Kenya Watch - see 'Further Reading' below)"It is my wish that the international community would appreciate the delicate situation of Sudan and act proactively. We should not isolate the people of Sudan. Let us encourage them to play their rightful role in the community of nations," Kenyan President Kibaki told the 14th Comesa summit of heads of state and government in Ezulwini, Swaziland. (Source: Daily Nation - Sep 1, 2010) "It is clear that the attempt by the Pre-Trial Chamber and some of the UN Security Council members to create a controversy totally fails to appreciate the context of the Horn of Africa region." -Thuita Mwangi, Aug 29, 2010(Source: see op-ed here below) Photo: Kenya (Source: geography.about.com)Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and TanzaniaArea - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of NevadaLand: total: 3,477 kmBoundaries: border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 kmPopulation: 33,829,590Languages: English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages- - -Kenya was perfectly right to invite Sudan President Omar al-BashirThe Nation (Kenya) - 29 August 2010 at 16:58By THUITA MWANGIIn the last two days, a lot of heat has been generated around the visit of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir during the promulgation of our new Constitution.The unfortunate statements attributed to some members of the UN Security Council as well as the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber cannot go without a response. The statements, and the decision, assert that African Union member states have “a clear obligation to co-operate with the Court in relation to the enforcement of such warrants of arrest. . . .’’ to which Kenya is a State Party.It is quite curious that the decision by the Pre-Trial Chamber was made strangely in respect of the “expected attendance of Omar Al Bashir at the celebration scheduled for Friday 27 August”. Anyone conversant with the proper role and mandate of the ICC must be dismayed by the manner in which this decision was arrived at, let alone the substance and implications.It is clear that the attempt by the Pre-Trial Chamber and some of the UN Security Council members to create a controversy totally fails to appreciate the context of the Horn of Africa region. First, Kenya’s stability is linked to that of its neighbours and the region. Indeed, Kenya has an abiding interest in ensuring peace and stability there by promoting peace, justice and reconciliation.This can be achieved through continuous engagement with the Sudanese Government. Kenya has remained seized with Sudan, supporting the process that led to the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, as well as its implementation. Kenya continues to bear the negative consequences of the civil war that it helped negotiate to end.For this reason, the country remains keen to pursue any measure that would encourage Sudan to attain sustainable peace. Furthermore, as a member of IGAD and a guarantor to the peace process in Sudan arising from the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the impending referendum in South Sudan, Kenya has an absolute duty and obligation.The objective of having representation from the region, particularly Sudan, at Kenya’s most historic political event was therefore, to share a positive national development and to encourage Sudan as it moves towards its own historic referendum in early 2011.The enthusiasm of the ICC to involve the UN Security Council is not only a reflection of its failure to appreciate the intricate reality on the ground, but also an indicator of yet another effort to force African countries to support the ICC.This is irrespective of the complex dynamics that require striking a balance between peace and justice, which Kenya believes is not only necessary for Sudan, but essential for stabilising the region. In inviting President Bashir, Kenya is acting in alignment with the African Union decisions on this matter.Interestingly, both the statements and the decisions grossly ignore the obligations of Kenya to the AU, arising from decisions of Assembly/AU/Dec. 245(XIII) adopted by the 13th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, wherein the Assembly “decide[d] that in view of the fact that the request by the African Union has never been acted upon (by UN Security Council), the AU Member States shall not co-operate pursuant to the provisions of Article 98 of the Rome Statute of the ICC relating to immunities, for the arrest and surrender of President Omar El Bashir of The Sudan”.Also, the statements did not take cognisance of the obligations of AU member states arising from Article 23 (2) of the Constitutive Act of the African Union, which obligates all members “to comply with the decisions and policies of the Union”. To this extent, the decisions adopted by the AU policy organs are binding on Kenya.Kenya strongly believes that sustainable peace and security anywhere must be underpinned by the three interconnected, mutually interdependent pillars of peace, justice and reconciliation.It will be recalled that the repeated appeals to the UN Security Council by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union as well as the AU Peace and Security Council to defer the proceedings against President Bashir for one year, and to allow for the peace process to make irreversible progress, have never been acted upon by the UN Security Council.Mr Mwangi is permanent secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.- - -Khartoum regime leader arrival brings Kenya airport to a standstilleTurboNews.com - 02 Sepember 2010By WOLFGANG H. THOME, ETN(eTN) - Last week’s promulgation of the new constitution in Kenya saw several heads of state grace the occasion with their presence, including Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, and they all landed with full protocol at Nairobi’s main airport Jomo Kenyatta International. In stark contrast, however, the Khartoum’s regime leader, Bashir, snuck into Kenya through Wilson Airport from where he also left the country later on under a shroud of secrecy.Air operators and passengers normally using Wilson Airport were reportedly irate over the closures of the airport for all traffic between arrival and departure of the tyrant, and three regular sources minced no words over this event - none of the comments, however, are fit to be repeated in the public domain, probably in itself a hint about how strong the sentiments were and what words were flying. Flights in and out of Wilson, East Africa’s busiest airport, were halted and then long delayed, scheduled flights to and from the national parks were disrupted, and charters had to be halted as passengers could either not get into Wilson Airport or because all commercial operations were grounded for the duration.It appears that many of the leading politicians in Kenya did not know of his presence, and subsequently squabbles arose in Kenya’s political establishment over the wisdom of inviting an alleged war criminal and alleged genocidaire, wanted by the International Criminal Court in the Hague. Kenya is a signatory country to the ICC Convention and will be facing not just tough questions by the ICC but has already incurred the wrath of US President Obama and many other world leaders, who sharply condemned the invitation and presence of Bashir in Nairobi for the event. It is also understood that the ICC referred Kenya’s decision and behavior to the United Nations Security Council where the case is due to be discussed and a possible reaction and response will be prepared.The ICC is also drafting indictments against perpetrators and promoters of the post 2007 election violence and instead of reveling in the newly-found world attention and spotlight, the day was by all accounts spoiled by Bashir’s presence. The alleged war criminal, brought to the venue by tourism minister Balala – a visitor Balala would also rather like to forget soon considering the negative publicity it brought to Kenya – had, according to a reliable source in Nairobi’s foreign ministry, secured guarantees beforehand that the arrest warrant would not be executed against him, and he only traveled to Nairobi after these assurances were given in writing. Subsequently, some government mouthpieces tried to defend the presence of Bashir in Kenya for the big day but were rubbished by the comments of many Kenyans posted on blogs and social websites, who openly questioned the sanity of the invitation.The fallout has also reached the Southern Sudan, where regular high-ranking sources, on condition of strict anonymity, expressed their anger and disappointment with Kenya, having fully expected to see the First Vice President of the Republic of the Sudan, who is also the President of Southern Sudan, Gen. Salva Kiir, represent their country. In fact, some opinions proffered to this correspondent spoke of unspecified consequences for Kenya in their dealings with Southern Sudan. It appears that Gen. Kiir was all set to fly to Nairobi but was apparently told at the last moment that his presence would, after all, not be required as regime chief Bashir would travel himself.Upon probing if they would have wanted Bashir, their former arch enemy, arrested, they were all the more guarded, with one claiming "it would not have helped us with the independence referendum" before adding "we know that hardliners in Khartoum and their backers abroad are not happy with Bashir for permitting us to move to independence. We are aware that there is [an]underground movement about this, but we hope all stays in place until January 9, 2010 when we will vote to become an independent country. After that the North can do what they want about Bashir, it is no longer our concern then."Kenya’s "Second Republic" was launched with glitz and glamour in a grand ceremony at Uhuru Park, where in 1963 the late founder president Jomo Kenyatta took the oath of office as he led his then nascent and young nation into independence, but the presence of Bashir has shaken many international observers and friends of Kenya who now ask what, if anything, has really changed so far as several laws seem to have been broken by the Kenyans’ responsible for the invitation and with absolute impunity.Tourism stakeholders meanwhile, while appearing somewhat unsettled over the huge controversy the Bashir presence caused in the country and worse for them across the world, were still jubilant over the fashion the referendum was held, the votes counted, and the new constitutional requirements are now unfolding, and that it will ensure lasting peace and reconciliation among leading political opponents, giving hope for free and fair elections in 2012 and allowing the tourism industry to prosper and grow, at last fulfilling Kenya’s enormous potential along the Indian Ocean beaches and in their national parks and game reserves.- - -Note from the editor of Sudan Watch:Red highlighting is mine. Ref the above, who exactly are 'the hardliners in Khartoum and their backers abroad'? - - -FURTHER READING Note the following from Kenya Watch, a sister site of Sudan Watch:ICC issues Press Release about Sudanese President Bashir’s visits to Kenya and ChadKenya Watch - Friday, 27 August 2010ICC Press Release: Friday, 27 August 2010Pre-Trial Chamber I informs the Security Council and the Assembly of States Parties about Omar Al Bashir’s visits to Kenya and ChadICC-CPI-20100827-PR568Case: The Prosecutor v. Omar Hassan Ahmad Al BashirSituation: Darfur, SudanPre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued two decisions informing the Security Council of the United Nations and the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute about Omar Al Bashir’s visits to the Republic of Kenya and the Republic of Chad, “in order for them to take any measure they may deem appropriate”. ...EU: Statement by the spokesperson of HR Catherine Ashton on Sudanese President Al-Bashir's visit to KenyaKenya Watch - Monday, 30 August 2010EU raps Kenya over Bashir visit. The European Union on Monday warned Kenya to tread carefully to avoid violating international laws ...Sudan summons EU envoy over Bashir's Kenya visitKenya Watch - Tuesday, 31 August 2010Sudan summoned the EU ambassador on Tuesday to protest against a European Union statement criticising Kenya for hosting President Omar Hassan al-Bashir last week, Sudanese state media said. ... Sudan's foreign ministry said a statement by the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, Catherine Ashton, raising concern at Bashir's Kenya visit was "totally unacceptable" ...New envoy to U.S. defends Bashir visit - Kenya's President Kibaki breaks silence on Sudan leader’s visitKenya Watch - Thursday, 2 September 2010Quote of the Day: If Kenya had arrested Mr Bashir, "Sudan would erupt in a civil war that is going to be bigger and more devastating than the civil war [that began] 20 years ago," Kenya's new ambassador to the U.S., Elkanah Odembo, declared. "I'm willing to put my money on it."...Thank you for reading Sudan Watch. 0 0 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 0 0 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4Authors: Editor

Read more: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/VBuP/~3/lYG0QZ3dIBE/kenya-was-perfectly-right-to-invite.html

By Mabior Philip   www.borglobe.com

Parliament – Juba (Borglobe)...The Juba-based Southern Sudan regional parliament has moved to establish an adhoc committee, synonymous to the Referendum Task Force of the executive branch, to politically mobilize the voters for the 2011 independence vote.

There were concerns that though the legislators were able to carry independence vote messages back to their electorates, there was no official and unified position taken by the Government of Southern Sudan and the assembly itself in regards to the options of unity or separation.

“President Bashir has made his position clear and he is campaigning for unity of Sudan, what message are we going to carry; is it just collective talk”, said Peter Bashir Gbandi, the Government Chief Whip. “So why are we shying away as assembly, do we stand with our people; are we getting these resources for saying what?”

Gbandi drew the nearest example of Kenya, saying during their constitution referendum they had ‘yes’ and ‘no’ secretariats independently. “If the assembly is advocating for secession, then it should come out very clearly and we have to do it in better way”.

All members of the House will be members of this adhoc committee and the membership may be extended to states and the national assembly. The committee, according to the mover Tulio Odongi Ayabus, will act as an early warning regarding any obstructions, insecurity, violence and other issues which may affect the vote.

It will also advocate the capability of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) defense strategy on both the territorial area and the airspace of Southern Sudan as mandated by the CPA from any external aggression should the people vote for separation.

According to a document received yesterday, the committee, will among others, direct the Government of Southern Sudan to establish close ties with the neighboring countries and the international community for immediate support and recognition should southerners vote for secession, and it seeks to set up an international press center in Juba.

“If things go well, thank God. If not, this assembly will have a final say”, said John Luk Jok, the Minister for Legal Affairs and Constitutional Development while considering some sections as unnecessary. The committee according to the proposal shall be chaired by the Speaker and deputized by the Deputy Speaker. The Government Chief Whip follows, as well as the Assembly Business Conduct component.

However, the SPLM-DC, the apparent opposition block, said Leader of the Opposition and the Opposition Chief Whip should be in the leadership as long as it is an all-member committee.

A select committee was formed to fine-tune the draft after the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs; Micheal Makuei Lueth identified many shortfalls regarding the structures of the committee. The select committee, headed by Dengtiel Ayuen Kur as the chairperson and Tulion Odongi as the secretary, will report back to the House after one week.

By Mabior Philip  www.borglobe.com

Parliament – Juba (Borglobe).... A member of the National Congress Party and a former Governor of Northern Bhar al-Ghazal state, Joseph Ajoung, yesterday unveiled his desertion of the northern-based Sudan’s ruling party.

He reportedly told the speaker that at this point in time, it was extremely important to mention that he and other southerners had been working with the NCP because it was the only northern political party that gave definite promises of bringing peace to the south through peacefully and transparently negotiated settlement, which it did through the CPA.

“But of late, we have sensed the slowing down on the implementation of the remaining crucial and sensitive parts of the CPA, putting this unprecedented agreement at risk”, Juong said in a statement.

He said because of the lack of will to implement these provisions of the CPA, he and other fifty NCP leaders and their supporters all over the state, counties and payams have decided to quit the party and join the SPLM.

“We have done this in order to effectively participate in accomplishing, through the coming referendum, the ultimate aspiration of the southern people”, he said.

Among the leading personalities joining the SPLM with him are Lawrence Leu Deng, the NCP Chairperson and former Commissioner of Aweil South County, and Peter Mou Kuan, the former Commissioner and NCP Chairperson of Aweil East. The speaker reportedly welcomed him and he is a fully recognized member of the SPLM.